By Suzie Ziegler
AUBURN, Ala. — A team of first responders were hailed as heroes after they made a dramatic rescue during an armed standoff on Sunday.
According to WRBL, Police Chief Cedric Anderson, Lt. Cody Hill and firefighter Andrew Kiser used a ladder to rescue several family members who were trapped on the second floor of a home.
Police said the incident began as a domestic violence call and quickly escalated. When officers arrived, a man began shooting at them and officers returned fire, police said. The suspect retreated inside the house and refused to come out. Responders then learned that family members were trapped upstairs, according to the report.
That’s when the daring crew jumped into action. Anderson steadied the ladder while Hill and Kiser climbed to the window to help the family escape.
“It was a great team effort, on everybody’s behalf. If it were not for Auburn Fire having that ladder, it would have made it more difficult for us to be able to extract those family members from that second-story window,” said Assistant Police Chief Clarence Stewart to WRBL. “I can’t describe how much compassion I saw on scene and how many acts of courage I saw out there.”
Once the family was safe, a SWAT team entered the home and took the suspect into custody. According to WRBL, the suspect was shot and is in stable condition. His name and charges were not immediately released.